


Eyes Like a God

by EZ_Baked



Category: We Happy Few (Video Game)
Genre: Drug Use, Hallucinations, I just take 1238129381092831 years to get the ball rolling, Other, big warning for chapter 7 if y'all don't like gore/violence, bless the kudos and comments they really keep me writing, drug plot stuff, general anxiety stuff, graphic violence doesn't start until chapter 7, lots of fear, this has an overarching plot I swear, this is moreso a OC plot thing and an Arthur character study, unreality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-07-12 03:38:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15986822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EZ_Baked/pseuds/EZ_Baked
Summary: Arthur meets a being only heard of in whispers around the Garden District, and it does not disappoint.





	1. Chapter 1

Adrenaline drive sone to madness, but this was was a moment of clarity. The beast came forth from behind the scrapings of rubble, mouth drooling like a wild animal. Arthur's entire body seized as he saw the thing from his peripheral, knowing better than to turn towards it. He had caught glimpses before, when sleep deprivation caught him at unfortunate times, or when he was just hungry enough to sample unsavory ways of sustenance. But seeing it now?

 

It was like facing a god.

 

The beast let out a low hum, almost cheerful, mimicking their upward curled cheeks and swirly patterns. They seemed joyous to the unaware, grin stretching from ear to ear, eyes bright and full of energy. But, too much energy. Their colors dazzled the mind, some colors incomprehensible. It burned to stare at their skin, the pulsing blue spots on its skin emitting the same low hum one feels with histoplasma. In a way, it was the embodiment of them, incomprehensible and full of wonders and possibility.

 

But very deadly.

 

The beast was heard through whispers within The garden District, tales of people straying too far from the roads, or stealing from fairy rings and molded caved. “The protector of fungus” the uninformed claimed, the wiser called fourth a “being of pure insanity.” One knew if it caught you, you would no longer walk this earth, dragged from the world a broken and bleeding mess, limbs torn and rendered like pastry flakes.

 

The village called them Consumption.

 

Arthur’s breath was in his head, clinging to the bush and wall around him, praying to anyone or anything out there that it hasn’t seen him loot the plague corpse. _It is only one mushroom, one bloody piece of fungus!_ He hoped and begged it would only go for those he had left behind with the rotting carcass. Perhaps the smell of the rot drew it near, perhaps it was the fear and sweat coming from Arthur that drew it closer.

 

Perhaps it was the stench of psychedelics in the air.

 

It was never wise to go near the cultist house, they were well known for attacking stranger on site. Strangers, in this case, being those not with “opened minds” and stomachs full of hallucinogens. The though of this simply being another bad trip filled Arthur’s senses, but the dragging of its feet and gnarled claws kept him pressed to the wall.

 

It turned the corner.

 

It’s eyes trailed the body lying below, letting off a soft hum of resignation as it carefully rolled the body over, exposing the bundle of histoplasmas bellow. Multicolored gems, just one containing enough psychedelics to knock out a fully grown man if not taken carefully. The beast leaned over, inhaling the smell of the inebriates, opening its mouth and drooling at the wonderfully disgusting aroma. It’s teeth were rotten like those under the influence of its toxins, and the drool withered the plants it fell on. It took the mushrooms into its mouth, consuming them in one fell swoop.

 

Rubble shifted.

 

The beast’s eyes darted over almost immediately, Arthur cowering further. It had to have seen him. It must’ve, he couldn't move swiftly enough away from the crumbling bricks for his torn suit to not glisten even slightly in the moonlight. Heart now in his throat, Arthur held his breath, any sign of life on his end easily winding in him with lacerations the size of a baseball welt and bones shattered with a single slamming fist.

 

It took a step forward.

 

It loomed over him, at least twice his size. It looked down at him with a demeanor of indifferent perplexion. Eyes burning through Arthur’s body directly into his soul, he felt his body getting fuzzy. The fumes from the beast’s body were starting to take a toll on his mind as the colors in the world began to drip. His chest tightened as the world began to spin, rolling forwards in his head but backwards from his eyes. It felt like too much of everything.Too much light during the night, too much noxious fumes berating his nose, too many colors in this creature’s eyes.

 

It smiled even wider

 

“ _F̳͍̺̪̮͟r̡̧̯͙̮̰̻i̸̺̟͖ẹ̛̛̘̬͞ͅn͖̝̞̝̳̬̲̱̕d̶̞̳̱̘̻͉._ ” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kind words and interest in the previous chapter! I've decided to continue this a bit! Not sure how long it'll go, but I have this chapter and another one coming soon!

The word had him taken aback. Arthur opened his mouth,unsure if he would scream or respond or outright begin bawling. His entire body fizzled with a energy he had never wanted or wished to feel in his life. His vocal chords tied together as he kept staring the creature down, it’s eyes unblinking. His arms and legs felt detached from him as the colors around the creature began to meld and warp into it, elevating its aura of pure unfathomability. The beast took another step forward to him, now only an arm’s length away. The smell from its body was sickeningly sweet and noxious, only heightening the unreality manifesting in the situation. Arthur swallowed hard, his throat drying and cracking with every second his heart raced through his entire body. Everything felt too much, his eyes hearing too many crackles of the night and ears feeling every new color appearing in his vision.

 

“H-Hello!” 

 

He could barely crack out a single word, blinking rapidly as the creature’s form seemed to warp and twist with the swirling mist and toxins surrounding them both now.  _ Who in their right mind talks back to something like this? _ Arthur wanted to run, flee as far as his thin legs would take him. Away from this being, the light and the eyes. There were too many eyes in the air around this thing. His adrenaline kept rising, farther then he felt humanly possible, with every second he remained with his eyes locked to this monstrous form.

 

The creature’s eyes pondered Arthur’s cowering and terrified shape, smile widening to show it’s rows of all too many teeth, leaning even closer to him. Arthur could see every crease and form on it’s pale porcelain-like face, every rotting bit of flesh below its teeth, and every single truth and terror this thing held behind it’s unholy eyes. Its mouth opened now, breathing in deeply, spotted tongue drooling a dark purple subsistence, dribbling it onto Arthur’s outfit. The beast’s eyes trailed his form for a moment longer, before looking back into Arthur’s eyes.

 

“W̵̯̖̝̫̥͟e̪̣̥ ͏͖̲̠W̧҉͚̠̭̠i̷̪͈̠̩̖͎͞ḻ̶̷̛̙̮̬l̶͏͈̰̬̱ ̛̼͇̳̬̗̤̜̤͟͝M͚̞̦͟e͓̩e̸̢̠͈͕̱̹͔t̞̺͓̙̝͠ ̗̰̳͍͖A̙̕g̭̠̲͇̱͟a҉̴̱͡i̫͓͢ņ͏̦.”

 

Arthur’s entire body felt like it had come to a grinding halt.  _ This couldn’t be real, none of this can _ . He inhaled sharply, body kicking back into reality, ready to jump and run as far and as fast as he could muster until his legs bled. This was like staring death itself in the face, if death were worse than anything one could imagine. Arthur’s hand shifted, ready leap, calculating how this beast could or would react. 

 

A crackling sharp pain was felt through his entire spine. He looked behind him, breaking eye contact with the creature to face the now swarming puddle of writhing and distorted hands now around him. He leapt forward, not caring if the creature were there or not, but was pulled down by the limbs into the soil. He felt his entire body choking and screamign as the arms pulled him further into the grass and rubble, looking up at the creature now with a pleaful stare, panicking at every new sense and fear this hallucination was bringing him.

 

He felt himself dragged down and falling into the Earth.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur woke with a start, head hitting the railing of the bunk above him. He let out a groan of pain and surprise, looking around groggily. The clock next to him in the shelter had went off. _9:30 again, so it was a dream._ As he continued to search around, fear and terror draining from him as quickly as it has risen, all seemed well. Everything was as it had been when he left it the day before. His eyes trailed across the counters and cabinets, counting every item he had gathered, making sure no one had broken in and stolen from his stashes while he had been away.

 

His eyes stopped on a pile of histoplasmas.

 

He hadn’t collected that many, certainly? And he was vaguely aware of a faint reeking ooze on all of them. Quickly, he looked down at his torn shirt. There was the same ooze the creature had drooled the day before. Arthur lete out a sharp gasp, recoiling out of the bed, heading over to a canister of water. Throwing the shirt off, fearing the hallucinations may begin again, he opened the canteen, pouring the water over the shirt, scrubbing with his hands furiously, hoping to get every semblance of the toxins out of it. After feeling he had thoroughly drowned his shirt in water, he looked back at the mushroomed piled atop one of the desks.

 

Arthur wasn’t quite sure exactly what to do at this point, what with the horror he felt last night. Then again, he wanted to know more about that creature. Why hadn’t it killed him? Why did it let him be after hearing so many stories about it dismembering and disemboweling the other wastrels? He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. _Best not to think too much this early in the day._ He tossed the shirt aside, choosing to take a shirt off one of the deceased bodies down here, shaking it off for good measure. Getting the plague benefits no one, after all.

 

Grabbing a few handfuls of berries and bandages for the day, Arthur exited his shelter to go about gathering what he needed for the upcoming hurdles

 

* * *

  
  


As night approached, Arthur returned once more to his underground safe haven. He had gone back to check the area he had been in the night before, but to no avail for finding clues. It had been almost as if nothing had transpired, even the corpse and mushrooms were no longer present. Other daily travels had been uneventful, but he was still puzzled and, to be frankly honest, morbidly curious as to the whereabouts of the creature he had seen. It couldn’t have been Foggy Jack, it was too . . . different from how the Westrels had described him. This thing was too tall, and could hardly be mistaken for human, let alone a recognizable one.

 

He sat at the desk near the bunk beds, searching through and sorting scraps and bits he had collected from the rubble. Nothing of note, handfuls of cloth scrap, bobby pins, and metal bits. The longer he stood at the desk, though, the more he felt his gaze wandering over to the histoplasmas on the file cabinet. His mind would wander of new concepts and theories as to what it was he encountered. Most ended in anxiety more than anything, especially when it began to manifest into something more tangible and physical.

 

Finished shorting, Arthur rose to his feet, stretching his back, taking a final look around the room. _Perhaps tomorrow_ , yes, _perhaps tomorrow I’ll go back and look further into what happened._ He crawled into bed, hoping for a dream more peaceful than the night before. His mind drifted off . . .

 

A loud crashing sound reverberated through the shelter.

 

Arthur rose to his feet, scabbling about for something to protect himself, adrenaline beginning to kick in. After grabbing a cricket bat near the bedside, he held his breath, staying as still as possible. He wasn’t quite sure if what had made the noise was a stranger or worse, and definitely could have the possibility of being armed. Everyone in The Garden District had a weapon on them, though Arthur wasn’t one to fight himself. He carefully shuffled in the dim light towards the end of the room, rounding a corner towards the track access hatch. _Had someone else found their way in there?_ He stood in front of the door, hands fiddling with the handle of the cricket back, calculating his choices.

 

Letting in a deep breath, he opened the door.

 

The hallway leading down to the tracks was empty, save for a few scurrying rats and ancient garbage. Continuing down the flight of stairs, Arthur carefully placed his steps, making sure to not give away his position. Then again, he’s not always the most careful person, as Arthur remembers as his foot slips on the space between two stairs, stumbling down and crashing with an audible thud at the bottom of them. He let out a groan, rising up, fixing the glasses covering his eyes. The blinked a few times as he got to his feet, reaching for the cricket bat, looking around. His eyes froze on a rather large and all too familiar shape drawing from the tunnel to the tracks towards him on all fours. Its bright psychedelic eyes and grinning mouth rested atop its blue speckled shoulders, crawling closer with every minute. Arthur’s body froze. _Oh dear God._

 

_Dear god, please not again._


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur was frozen to the spot, watching the creatures eyes search him. He could swear it was bigger than it was before, but perhaps it was now that way because he was in a cramped entrance to an underground station. The corners of his eyes were filling again with psychedelic images. It was like motoline spills, reflecting in iridescent colors and pooling slowly towards the center of his focus. Not that he really could focus, what with the smell from the creature berating his nostrils to the point of disrupting his breathing.

 

It took a step forward.

 

The beast was on all fours, broad shoulders still nearly at Arthur’s shoulders, head level with his. It large clawed hands scrapped across the ground as it got closer, drool oozing from its mouth like an infected wound. The creature let out a low, distorted but audible humming noise, lowering the front of it’s body, moving its haunches ever so slightly.

 

_ Oh dear god it’s going to pounce. _

 

Arthur took not a breath’s hesitation before turning on a dime and desperately trying to sprint up the stairs back to his safe house. The beast took immediate notice, and he could hear it beginning to run towards him, all four limbs causing the ground to shake as it charged. Arthur was scared out of his mind, using his hands to assist going up the stairs faster, but it wasn’t quite fast enough. He felt a shadow come over him, the beast had leaped, and its figure landed and turned to face him from the doorway and his only chance of escape. It’s eyes were wilder than before, pupils dilated and colors seeming to almost glow from it, mouth agape in a wide, toothy grin. He turned again, sliding ungraciously back down the stairs, sprinting away from ti even faster, heading deeper into the caverns.

 

_ Maybe I can lose it in the railways. _

 

He continued down the dimly-lit track, turning and weaving and ducking under debris, hearing the beast fast on his heels. The adrenaline coursing through him felt like fire, colors and whispers creeping slowly closer to his pupils. He knew if he hadn’t lost it by the time its hallucinogens took effect, there was no way he could escape. It also wasn’t helping him that the further down he went in this maze of train tunnels, the darker and darker it got. He had ditched the cricket bat long ago, knowing it would do next to nothing to it and would only slow him down more than exhaustion was already achieving.

 

He felt a large weight crashing down on his back.

 

It had lept again, this time landing on his shoulder blades. Arthur desperately made an attempt to turn as to not land on his face and smash his glasses, though it more so gave him a front row view to the sheer size and terror of staring this creature in the face as it pinned him to the floor. Just one of its large hands was able to press down his entire torso, using its other one to balance itself as to not lose the grip on its quarry.

Tears streaming down his face, Arthur felt the weight of the entire creature crushing his chest. He felt like choking and drowning and having a panic attack all at once, colors and dazzling shapes in the edges of his eyes seeming to swarm and circle around the beast staring him down. He knew it was all over, everything; trying to save Percy, escaping Wellington Wells, remembering the past. This beast is the death of him, and he stared up at his executioner with tears and terrors in his eyes.

 

The creature stared at him a moment longer, then rose releasing the pressure off his chest and removing it’s grasp.

 

Arthur shot up like a shortspike, astounded at this moment, clambering back as fast as he could. Running into a wall a few moments later, he groaned, rubbing the back of his head. He blinked, shaking his head looking back at the creature. Though, before his eyes could even reach it, he saw his own body sitting where the creature had left it. He jumped to his feet, startled and confused, looking back at the beast.

 

“What the fucking hell did you do?!”

 

_ Was that any way to talk to something that spared your life, you moron? Or maybe it did kill you and now you’re a bloody ghost, great.  _ The creature paused for a moment, staring down at Arthur’s body, taking a step towards it cautiously. It let out a claw, poking one of his legs. As soon as the creature’s finger connected with his leg, Arthur felt a spike of surging numbing pain, as if his foot had gone asleep and been rudely awoken simultaneously. 

 

“Ah, cut that out!”

 

The creature froze at the words, looking over at Arthur’s conscious self, pulling it’s hand away from his body. It looked at him, blinking for what he felt was the first time he had seen its eyes do anything more than stare. It rose to its hind legs once again, towering over Arthur, letting out a deep sigh, releasing visible smoke and spores from its lungs. Arthur took this moment to look at it closer, for the first time no longer feeling terror and more of a cautious curiosity.

 

The creature was certainly humanoid, but with much longer, boney arms and large hands. It’s skin was a horrendously bright shade of pink, nearly magenta, with bluish-teal spots on t’s shoulders and upper arms. Its face resembled the masks Wellies wore in the Parade, but more . . . toned to the entire front of the face. He could see no visible separation between the “mask” and the rest of its face. Furthermore, unlike the Wellie’s masks, this things smile truly did go from ear to ear, all natural and no artificially made smile. 

 

“S͉͖̬̻t͍̦͙̞̦̞ar͍̙̩in̘g̝̱̰̯̝̭͜ͅ ̡̣͕̬͕̙̠i̡̘s̶̙̭͚͎͔̹ ͇͉̦̤̬̠ͅr̭̭̥͕u͙͖̠͓̱͞d̢͍e,̟̫ ͍̖y͏̱̗̰̮o̼̩̩u͕ ̶̣̻͉͉̳k̰n̝̼̦̦̞ͅo̗͓̹̰̮̮̺̕w̦͡.”

  
  


Arthur, taken aback once more, shook his head, clearing his mind. He looked back at it, this time not starting as much, after all the shapes in his eyes were beginning to get hazy and make him lose focus. “Oh . . .sorry?” his words were audibly confused. This thing certainly talked . . . . human enough. Though it’s voice was gravely enough to pave the roads in the garden district, and deep enough to create a rumbling in his own chest. Unsure of what to do next, he looked back at his body, “Do you know how, you know” he motioned to his limp shape in front of him “that happened?”

 

“Y͙̪̣̼o͓̣͓̱̙u̘͓̩̭̭ ̢̥̫̦͚̥̯pa͚̻s̪̝̹̹̕se̦̟͇͢d̴ o̲u̝̙͖̫̙t͜.”

 

“ . . . ah-” Arthur shook his head, drawing in the fact he was talking to this unholy creature. “Excuse me but- how can I talk to you? How- what even are you? Are you even real?”

 

The creature let out a huff, staring him over once more, “I am ͝no̸ ̛mo̶re r͏ea̢l͏ than̨ h͡o̢w̕ yo̴ư st̸an̶d r̕i̛g͝ht̨ ̨no̸w.̨ H̸o͞w̴ d̶o y҉ou̵ ͟kn҉ow̢ w̵h̨er̶e҉ ͢y̷ou stan̷d̕ i̧s͘ ̕r̢e͝al, or ͢t̕he ̢body of ͟yo̢ur y҉ou sta̧r͢e ̛a͟t on t̛he ͢flo̢o͡r ̵be͘lǫw is̵ ̴re͡a̧l͡?͟”

 

For once, Arthur was silent.

 

The creature looked around the tunnels once more, drawing a hand across the humid and deteriorating walls. It eyes seemed, searching, remembering that which Arthur could never hope to know, and would never even begin to comprehend. It looked back at him, blinking once again.

 

“Y̢o̡u will p͞ass o̕u͏t ͠soon͘,̶ ̕th̸e ̡f͏u̡m̸es ̨ar̴e͠ too ̴m͟u̷ch for you͢r ͝sȩn̛ses. Thơugh̸, you ̡w̶il̨l͏ ̕n̢ot͏ fo̴rget̛ ͟this, a͢n̛d ͟this ͞w̨ill͢ not be th͢e̶ l̷as̢t t̡i͘m͝e̛ you͠ ͜h̛ave̷ to͘ reme͞mb͢er.”

 

Arthur was struck again by the words; eloquent yet, somehow unimaginably threatening.  _ What did it mean by ‘not he last time’? Was it going to see me again? What does it want from me? _ Though, Arthur had little time to comprehend more, as the creature’s words rang true as hind went fuzzier, shapes form his vision beginning to cloud was little scraps of reality still remained. 

 

He grabbed onto the wall, vision slipping to the void, as his head went under and the world went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We broke 1k words in a chapter! I really didn't expect it to be this long, but I wanted to make sure to get in everything I wanted to put in here!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur isn't the brightest when it comes to connecting the dots sometimes

Arthur jumped forward, holding his throat and coughing. Waking up wasn’t entirely too unpleasant considering what he has feeling only moment prior. Though, now he felt a creeping headache rivalling some of his worst hangovers. Groggily, he reached over for his glasses, blinking them and adjusting to the light in the room. A quick look yielded little change from the night prior, though there was now a small pile of histoplasmas on his bedside.

 

_That’s . .. concerning._

 

Arthur arose out of the bed, stretching. _It’s best for me to forget that, dwelling on it will only worry me more._ He let out a huff, thinking of what to do for the day. It would be futile to head out of Lud’s Holm, there was all too much still to do, and finding Faraday was proving to be surprisingly hard task. The bobbies had written she was here, but failed to specify the exact location of the to nothing more than “gated house with a side door”. He grabbed a pocket full of food and badges, plus a medkit and a cricket bat for safe measure.

 

Glancing around the room again, his eyes landed on the pile of mushrooms.

 

He briefly considered his options. Did the creature want him to take them? Why him specifically? Why did it keep leaving more of them instead of moving the ones he had looted originally? He thought better about irritating it a third time, fearing that if he ran away a third time it wouldn’t be as lenient. He let out a chuckle as he bagged a handful of the hallucinogens. _I’m really letting a hallucination make me afraid, of all the real things I’m scared by something not even there._ He felt them as more of a peace of mind than anything else as he headed towards the exit hatch of his bunker

 

* * *

 

Once outside, Arthur viewed his surrounding, heading west, hoping this time he would have better luck today finding the mysterious missing scientist. The dense foliage of this area proved moderate difficulty until he was able to join up with one of the old rubble paths. He hummed as he went along, nodding to anyone he passed, hoping no one would stop and question him for anything more than simple greetings. Though, even if they were doing so, he was too lost in thought about the last few days events to think  about common courtesy greetings.

 

The beast still perplexed him. Its motives, appearance, and overall actions seemed to conflicting to stories he had heard of similar things. He would much rather have found Foggy Jack had he known this thing would be following him every time he wanted to get a good night’s rest or whenever he tried to search for items in peace. Though, he was grateful it hadn't tried to kill him as many of the wastrels had warned it would, though that thought only brought him more confusion. _Why did it not kill me? What is there to me it did not see in anyone else?_

 

His thoughts came to a halt as he felt a familiar thick smoke in the air. His body froze up, looking around, sensing it as the same smoke the beast had given off. It had never come during the day, but it was unmistakable. Without a moment’s hesitation, he slid and dive into a small patch of thickly grown wild flowers, hoping it would provide enough cover to not be spotted. Though, as the minutes passed, it become more apparent where was in truth nothing there. After another few moments pause, Arthur left the foliage, looking around for the source of the foggy aroma.

 

His eyes landed on a large half-deteriorated house.

 

It had odd graffiti he was able to recognize form where he was, as it appeared to be an almost glowing yellow text. It spoke of “opening one’s eyes”, and beyond this a large metal gate held the palace shut. He felt a cold chill go up his spine as he continued to examine it, seeing intricate patterns inside through the windows of histoplasma-like paintings. His body tensed further as his mind put the puzzle pieces together. _Had this been the place where the beast had wanted him to go?_ He shook the thought, surely a coincidence. He thought further, remembeirng what the Bobbies had written as Faraday’s location; the house was gated and appeared to have a few doors on its sides.

 

_Oh god, I really do need to eat one of these._


	6. Chapter 6

Waiting around until nightfall was one thing. Waiting around until nightfall with the ever-increasing realization you needed to take drugs once the sun set was another. Arthur had been staring down at the histoplasma in his hand for a solid 5 hours, sitting on the grass next to the mansion. His body was filled with a mix of dread and concern.  _ Why was Faraday here of all places? Was she experimenting with drugs and they sent her this way because they got concerned? _ He could never quite pale an answer that sat well with him, his eyes trailing the sun as it got ever closer to the horizon. The handfuls of “jerky” and bread he had brought were enough to last through the day, though he may get a bit hungry near the end of his nightly excursion if it took more than a few hours past nightfall.

 

The sun sank beneath the trees, sky turning to a muted purple.

 

As the stars began to line the skies, he rose to his feet, brushing himself off. The aroma of histoplasma form the house has seemed to double since he had arrived, not quite causing visual effects on its own, but enough to offput him. He walked towards the iron gates near the front, dread building in his stomach with every step closer he took. He didn’t want to do this, but he felt no other way to get across to The Parade. He had gone this far, was he truly going to let his fear of something not even real stop him when he’s so close?

 

He stood at the door, acceptance drawing from his senses.

 

He took a bit of the histoplasma in his hand, wincing as he recalled how rubbery and unnaturally waxy it felt. There was a sour taste to it, mixed with grass clipping and something like rotting steak. He swallowed the first bite, finishing the rest as quickly as his recoling body would allow him. Immediately, he felt no change, though he was acutely aware that the gate now seemed to be a lot less closed than he remembered. He stepped forward, moving it out of his way, it’s iron leads creaking and groaning as they moved in what felt like a century. As he approached the house from its uphill walkway, his sense told him more and more that there were definitely toxic things within here, having to stop himself from coughing at the noxious fumes of hallucinogens within.

 

As he opened the doors to the house, it became all too clear this was an absolutely terrible mistake he had made.

 

Almost immediately, his eyes filled with a glassy smoke of multicolored haze, ears filling with the sounds of unholy warbled music. He turned to run out, thinking twice about this, but the door had closed behind him. He froze up, weighing his options. If he ran out now, he may not be able to get into The Parade. If he stayed, this would be the worst possible place to have a bad trip. He could hear the sounds of others in his house, and he wanted nothing to do with things he may regret. He stumbled forward, ready to look for another exit to this new hellish cage.

 

Looking forward, it was quite difficult for him to accurately focus on one single task in front of him. He could swear his arms were moving slower than they truly were, but they landed on the walls faster than he could see them doing so. He blinked quick, making out the shape of a person crouched on the floor. He rubbed his eyelids, making sure they were not part of this regret. They seemed to be, whispering. He decided, against his better judgement, he needed to find Faraday above else, and if this was Faraday, he needed to know and leave as soon as possible. He shuffled forward, balancing himself upright on the wall of a doorway, blinking rapidly.

 

“Doctor- Doctor Faraday?”

 

The person crouched in prayer froze, looking behind them, eyes wide. They let out something along the lines of a hiss, speaking with a voice as if they were within Arthur’s skull.

 

“ _ I̧ a̛m͠ of͠ ͟blo͝o͠d,̡ ҉f͘ar fr͠o͞m t̨ḩat̡ ̡w͜hic̛h ͘yo͏u w̸ill̛ ev͡er k̶n̶ow t͘he embrac͠e̸ ̕of. _ ”

 

_ Well, that was far from an answer. _ Arthur thought better than to press this lady any more on the matter, turning deeper into the house. His hands traced the wall of the kitchen he was now entering, Smelling a mix of rotting foods with the histoplasma stench. His mind fuzzed over as he continued, eyes adjusting to the new colors he was unused to seeing when he wasn’t absolutely inebriated. Rounding a corner into the next room, he approached the second person in this house, watching as he paced back and forth in front of an unlit fireplace.

 

“Excuse me, are you Doctor Faraday?”

 

The man paused in his pacing, facing Arthur. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but forze, seeing something behind Arthur’s  head. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes before putting his head between his hands. His voice rang out once more like the woman’s, filling Arthur’s skull with the sheer intensity of the words

 

“ _ This ̶ca͢nņot be how ̸w҉e go͟.͜ I̸ ͞w̢ill be̛co͏me a̵ ͟v̨ictim͜ t͏o ̨the͏ dȩv͝i͏l’̷s͝ cr͏y.̢ _ ”

 

Arthur, confused at what the man had uttered, turned around to see what had frightened him so. When his face was level with an all too familiar pink-toned chest, Arthur felt as if his heart was going to stop. His eyes wandered up, meeting with the familiar pair of multicolored circles. The beast smiled back at him, letting out a hum. Arthur, knowing better than to stand this close to the thing, ran into the next room, stumbling over his own disoriented and delisioned body. He turned back as it followed, gazing at it as he stood still in the center of the main foyer. The beast grinned as it stood at full height, seeming to stand with pride and power beyond imagination.

 

“Y͔̻̭̕o̭̙̗̗͕̰̟u̬̝̭̖̪͚ͅ ̪̰͙̦ͅs̡͙̪e̫͎̟̖̬̞̹e̖͕m͉̖͍̗̩̕ ͚̘͞l͍o̶̙̬ͅs͇̰̺͉̩͈͝t̻̳̹̫̠͓͕,͔̺ n̲͓̯̖͓ͅo̭̞̟̳?͕̳͍̳̝̗͘”

  
  


Arthur gulped. He had wished anything but this. His mind raced with too many thoughts, too many fears, too many wishes he knew he would never be able to complete. This must be it; it said he was lost. He must've gotten it wrong.

 

_ Was this its plan all along? Bring me back to its den of drugs so it can kill me in peace? _

 

He looked around, assessing his options, breathing heard, trying his hardest not to let tears come out of his eyes out of the terror rising in his lungs. The only close exits were a set of boarded up windows and a sealed door. Upstairs seemed to have a small cave-in, and only a single door looked even remotely movable. He looked back at the beast, trying his best to keep his voice even.

 

“Wh-what are you going to do to me?”

 

The creature let out a chuckled hum, causing every hair on Arthur’s body to rise. His body screamed for him to move, but his inebriated state made him feel like his feet were locked into the ground. His whole body felt on fire but made of the coldest stone simultaneously. The beasts eyes looked at him derisively. Though it stood still, similar to how it had in the underground, waiting for Arthur to make the first move, wanting the thrill of the chase. Its claws fixed, smile widening with each second.

 

A voice from the upper floor tore Arthur from the terror.

 

“What the hell are YOU doing in here?!”


	7. Chapter 7

Arthur looked up at where the voice had originated. A lean man in his late forties stood there, body hunched offer in a defensive posture. His eyes glinted with balance, and his hand gripped tightly to a metal pipe.

 

“You have ten seconds to clear the bloody hell out my house before I make you regret trespassing for the sliver of life you’ll have left!”

 

The man’s voice was sharp and calculative, and it dawned on Arthur this was indeed **not** the house Dr. Faraday was located in. It took him a few moments more to collect himself and realize the man’s shouting had led the other people high on hallucinogens to head towards the front room, now blocking the only exit he had previously seen. He looked back at the beast across from him in the foyer. The creature’s eyes searched over the forms of the people within, though no one except Arthur seemed to see this towering horror-terror.

 

He swallowed hard, looking back at the man on the upper floor. _Must be his . . . drug house of sorts._ The man showed no signs of being under the influence of the psychedelics like the others residing in the house, but nonetheless carried a presence deemanding their attention. Arthur took a step forward, hoping his stumbling and slurred speech from the mushrooms wouldn’t fuck him over too much if he tried to plea for his life.

 

“I- I really did know this was your place, swear to honest!”

 

The man scoffed at Arthur, grasp tightening on the pipe, starting towards him down the stairs. His voice shook lowly, “Not likely, and you’re out of time.”

 

Arthur took a few stumbled steps backward, fear for the beast leaving for something far more grounded. He steadied his breath, calculating if he could take this man on. A shift of weight to his left stopped his thoughts, looking over and remembering there were still the two other people he saw when entering the place. _Oh for fuck’s sake._

 

A large shadow cast over his view.

 

The creature had walked in front of him, separating Arthur from the man coming towards him. Arthur blinked, unsure as to what this meant. _Is it defending me? Why the bloody hell would it want to keep me alive after it said it wanted me dead??_ He shook his head, feeling his mind starting to go fuzzy as the beast let out a low growl. On what felt like a dime, the man stopped and froze in his tracks, blinking a few times. Arthur knew it meant he now saw the creature in all of its terrifying glory.

 

“y͏̻̳̘̣ou ͍̘̲͉͈͇͚w͈͓̹͉̠͖ḭ̢̥̗̞l̵̬̞l̻͓͉̺ ̵̞̼̻b͓̯͚̗̦̖͍ơ̘̯̙w͏̤̩̗̞ ̵̱a͍̕n̸̺͇̦̭d̲̥͓̦̻̫͡ ̲̬͚b̤̹̤̥e̡͈͇̗g ̪̭̹̰͟f̖͕͉̯̮̜͡or͏͔͔ ̷̗͕t̯̩̮͖̟ͅh͇͓͚i̯̰̬̘͈̻s̼͕͈̣̪̱ ̟͙͔̦̱t̬͔̯o͉̝̣̖ ̣ḇ̥̩͚̻͈̘e̻̜ ͍̻̮̠̻͎̤q͔̖̰̠͞u͈̝̖͍̹i̧̪̪̙͚̫̳c͉͕k̷.͏̗”

 

The man had no time to react as it lunged. The people to Arthur’s left also seemed to realize it’s presence, letting out sharp gasps and looking onwards with fear. Arthur stepped a few more feet back, watching as the beast held the man’s throat in its hand. It pulled the man off the ground, holding him to eye level, letting out a snarl, smile widening to show every tooth in its mouth. It turned back to face Arthur, spitting out words as its mouth drooled with hunger.

 

“Y̳̣͝o̥̘̖̦u̦̖͔͔͎͈͞r̹͇͢ ͍̬͠e͖y҉̜̙̫̪̝̪e̦s̲̠̻̲̗̳̻ ̺̝̩c̭͎͚̝̩͉o̠̙̯̼̹w͈̩͝e͉̻̺̲̯̹r̙̺ ̱̹͟a͏̞̩̫̲̬̣̫t̴̪̝̯ ̪̹̯͍̘̹ͅw̠̘̙h̫̤̲̫͙͡a̗t̴͎͎̻̹̹͕̖ ͚̝̝̜͓̼͠ͅt̼̫͙͖̻̻̲h͈̳̠̳ey͉̞ ̬̯̝̬͕b̟͚̞̼̘ͅe̴͈̠h̼̣̰̘o͇̬̦̮l͍͚͠d͈̬͙͚̕.”

 

Arthur had little time to question what it meant as it turned and slammed the man into the floor face-first. The sicken crunch of bone than followed made Arthur’s stomach turn. The creature looked down, slashing its claws into the man’s stomach, pulling apart at the sternum. With a swift prying motion, the man’s front half was successfully vivisected. The beast’s eyes looked down at the dead man and tore into his flesh further, consuming  entrails and organs as if personally racked by the strongest pains of starvation. The two people by the doro were frozen to the spot, as was Arthur. The creature turned to look at the people by the door, mouth covered in blood and guts and smiling all the while, letting out the equivalent of a purr as it rose once again to its feet, holding the man’s corpse by a leg.

 

“V̖̺̗̦̘i̮̠̜̯̠s͢i̻̻o̴̞͎͖͖͈̟̝n̶̯̪̻̼̻ș̵͍̳̳̥̭ ̩̘͍̲͖̩h̛̦a̱̙̺͢ͅv̼̫͇̤͓̹̟͘e̺̝̠͉͞ ͞c̞̭͖͙̝ḻ͖̗̼͎̭̜͜o͕̥͈̱̰͍̪u͕̟̥͖͡d̺͎̗͎͞ed̨͈̜͇͍̹̩̰ ̢̝y̩̱̠͈o͈̜͎u͝ ̛͎b̗o̙̯̣͞t͖̝̘̬h͙̝.̹̰̤̠ ̴̮̬̝̙̖E҉̳̞̻̜x͜i͈t̜̭̞ ̗̘͇ͅw͕̝͍͇̝i̜͇͕̖̦͎̘͘t͏̬͎̠͚̩̲h̸͙͉̥̦ ̙̝̼̲͉b̷̟͕l͏̭ͅo̟͇o̰̰̥̫̩̳d͚̜ ̥̲̟͙͕̤̥͘a҉̥̥͇̺̤̦̙n̢̟d̞̫ ̖̗̝̯l̮͓̗̩ͅe̦͍̮̫a͟ṿ͡e̯ ̳̬͝y͚͔̼̺̣o̮u̧͍͙͇̟̰͙̱r͎ m͏̣͙̣̹̖e̵̗̟̟̮͈m̶̻̺̥̼̩͉o̦r͖̟̱i͔̪̼̯͔͉͔e͓̳̤͍͚̟̠s̟̜͞.͔͎̲̬̱̯”

 

The two took not a moment’s hesitation to turn tail and run out of the house. They may feel terror now, but Arthur hoped they would only think it was the drugs that had made them witness this monstrosity. He looked back up at the beast, head ringing and colors spinning once more. His voice crackled with fear as he desperately spoke up at this thing, praying for an answer before his deliverance from this world. He shook his head, body aching as it looked back at him, unsure of his senses, himself, or anything he had considered a reality before. This thing was worse than reality, worse than the truths he had known. Yet, it had saved him in the face of a certain death.

 

“Why?”

 

The beasts glistening eyes paused, blinking at the words.

 

“Wh- why did you save me?”

 

The creature took a step forward, hunger and insanity gone from its eyes. It looked down at him, pondering for only a moment, eyes flashing with something Arthur could almost take as curiosity. It let out a low sigh, tossing away the corpse.

 

“Y̷͍̼͔̱͚͇̰o͇͖u҉̞̩̞͔̣r̤͈̣̣̟ͅ ̢͚͖̼͚̞͎ͅb̛͎͔͈̩̯l̡̺o̜͕͔̝̬͡o͎̫̘̰̺d̯̦̘̞̱̬͠ ͘c̟̯͎ͅr͕̺̭͈̤̗̫i̷̙̪̤e̷͓̻̱̝s̴̭ ͖̗̖̥̕f̫̲͚͇̘͚͈o̯̟̩̺͎ͅr̫̯͇̟ ͔͍̱̝r̟̻̪͢e̤̤̟͓̺so͓̪͎͚͉͙̟͞l̰̦u̮̥̲͎͈͙t̫͕̹̱̻i͕̰͇̙o̹̫̬̠̭͉͓n̫̯͙̝̰̝.͡ ̝Y͖̞̬o̷̯̭͉͇̲u̟ ̪͕̭̰s͜ṭ̡̰͚a͕n̸͚̖̘ͅd̟͙̜͇̻ ͙̰̩̻͚t̸̞͖̞̘ḫ̸͚̺̱o̸͉͉̼͓͎͖u̥̠̺̣͡g̭̜̦̟̰̼h̥̘̪ ̷͎̫̖̻̰̫̖y̞͍̬̞̟̟o̦̺̺͜u̦͇̥̜̯ͅr̙͕̣̗̯̥̦ b̟̯̘͇̺̗o̗̞̣̭͙̪n̲͙̪e̴͕̺̞s̞̯̫̖̕ ̨s̠͎c̶̖r̴̼̭̫̯e͍a͏ṃ̞̪ ̝͓̰͎̕to̯̠͇̰̼ ̳̘̲̭̜c̯̬̩̯̘̺̝͜o̻̗͙̺̘͠w̻͎͙͈̹̳͉͘ę̯͈̼̺̮̤̟r̴̻̜̖.”

 

Arthur was silent.

 

The beast looked around the place, searching around for signs of any others who may have seen what transpired. It returned to Arthur a few moments later, standing fully in front of him, looking down at him with a newfound look he had not seen on it. It spat out something it had taken from the man, a small keycard of sorts. It was bloody, but usable. Arthur’s psychedelic trip seemed to wind down, colors bleeding away from his vision, head clearing as he picked it up. He looked down at the inscriptions on it, pondering the now familiar insignia of Hayworth Laboratories. Considering his options, he stared up and the creature.

 

“What are you?”

 

The beast let out a snort, Arthur for the first time since he saw it no longer fearing it would truly kill him. It rested a hand on his shoulder, eyes filled with a presence and a power Arthur could now see for what it truly was.

 

“I͎̗̩̫ ̺̰a̼̙͖̳̩̤m̹ ̖͓̰̣̜͢C҉͍o͖̩͓̦͉̣ns̵̼u̢̗͚̠m̜͉̝͔͉p̻͉̳̠͝ͅt̞͍̺̘i̬͎̮̳̹̫̕o̰n͕̮͙͚̣͘ͅͅ,͎ ̥̙͕̹a̞̖̩̠̱̝̻n̲̺͞ḑ̹̳̖̼̮̰̼ ̶̹w̧e̶̯̩͕̮̰͍̹ ͏h͞a͖v̼e҉̻̜̣̗ ͎͞ͅm̞̗͔͙̙͎̹ṷ͇͔͕c͏̻h̫̼̤̞̰̬ ̬̫̪t̗̭̱͍͍̹o͎͍̣͈͈̗ͅ ̠͍̪͝t͖a̵͉̳̻͖l̖k҉͚ ̳̭ą̲̭͇b͏͙̹o̦̗u͈̦̼͓͇̼t̻.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m back babey!!! Took me 12312903192 years to get the motivation to continue, but I finally have a good direction of where to take it, so get ready for another chunk of chapters!

The last couple of days had been a whirlwind of emotions, jostling Arthur’s mind and body every which ways imaginable. He stood now, next to this being who had once scared him with a new stance of familiarity. His head still rang with the sounds of torn flesh and the dizziness surrounding this beast, but he stood neutrally, unsure of where to begin.

 

“I . . .”

 

His brain felt lost for sentences, he needed to lie down. Breathe carefully, weigh the situation. Consumption stood before him, towering above him, ever-present smile across its porcelain-like face.

 

“ . . . how did you get here?”

 

The beast blinked at the question, then turned, motioning with its large clawed hand for the brit to follow. It strode towards the entrance to the room in which they had entered, path forward clear in its eyes and movements. Arthur followed quick, ringing beginning to subside and he jogged up to keep pace.

 

“M̦̱͜y̝͘ ͎̺̠p̴̘̗̘͚̜̭r̠̠̖̯es͎̮̙͈̲̮͢ẹ̫͕̟͍͓̟n̗̼̱̭̺̥c̢͉̼͍͓e ̻ḥ͍̱̰͔͝a̦̦s͕̜̣̣͇̣ ͓̤͚̼͖a̜l̦̹̝̘̤͕w͇͔̣͟ḁ̧̠͇̞̙̩y̠̦ͅs̠̖͔͇ ͕͔͍͠b̘̦̮̮̺̣̞e͚̜̣̼͘e͇͈͎͕̖͎̗n̟̜͠ ̻̯͎͈͉̤a͖̩p̝̻̥̙͠p̮͔͞are̲̙n̮͖̬͔̦ͅt̗͉,̡̟ ̺͙̤̤s҉̘i̼̗͓͓̻͙̱̕m̥͔͖̠p͇̝̺͕̭͎l̴y̜͝ ͇̙l̠͉y̲i͈͎n̩͙̗̫̹͖͕g̳̣ ͕d͇̭̻͇̙̘o̙̣̬̭͓͈r̟m̡͖̤̫͙͇͔͎a̺̯̳͕̹n͘t̵͕̻͎͈͕ ͖̲͍u̦͙n̵̬̜̠̩͉̳ṭ̣̟̣̩̥i̬͍͡l̳ ͔͓̭̜͜I̧̳͓̤̮̱ n̬̟͙̰͍e͔̖͈̼̯͜e͈̯͍̫̙ͅd̶e̵̙̪d̹̰͚̪͕ ̨̞t̝̜̝͈̹͎͓o̤͖͙̭̺͠ ̴̠͙̹m̩a̢̦̻n̥̥̠͟i͏̺̠f̢̯̦̗e̛̙̹s̭̹̙̰͚͡t͉̰.͍̘͕̰̠̞͚”

 

Arthur nodded, not fully understanding what it meant but knowing not to press to much further. Whether it was his gut screaming for him to not know more or the creature itself knowing perfectly how to tear his body in half, he knew better than to ask for more information than it was willing to give. The pair exited the ruined house, Consumption stopping outside of the doorway to look around. It was near dawn, the sky filling with a milky red on the horizon and the murky blackness and starlight above beginning to diminish with every passing minute. Arthur stood for a moment, taking in a landscape not a few moments prior held so many fears and uncertainties. There was an idyllic peace that had washed over him, understanding now the thing he had seen in the shadows and darkest corridors had no real intentions of hurting him, let alone truly frightening him. If Consumption had wanted to do that, Arthur would’ve been dead after their first encounter.

 

Consumption stared forwards, eyeing the bridge towards St. George Holm, smile widening into a toothy grin. It looked down towards Arthur, motioning with its head.

 

“I͇͕̜̙̹̲͞t̛͖̟̭̝͚͎̜’̼͢s҉̜ ̣̮̙w҉̳i̡s̙̥e͖̯͉͘ ͎̞͟t̲̤̺͎͔̱̮͢o̜̰̥͎ ̛̖̟ͅh̛̰e̬͉̬̹̰̜͖͠a̤̩ḑ͍̬ ҉̺͕̱̘͎̦to̹̼͎͔͕͚͉ ̜̳̭̥̹̣͘y̛̫ͅoṵ̞͓r ͏̠̱̲s͙͓̻̩͔̝a͔̜f͜e̺̝̜̙̮̝͜-̺̰̮h̟̳̩̳o̹̪u̷͍͙̮̞̠̯ͅș̥̤͇̭̖̫e̠͕̲̯̜͟ ̰̣̱͚̦͝oṋ͎̟̤c̭͖̘͚͕̲ͅe̦͞ ̶̦mo̰̣̗̠͚͠re͏̦̤͇̻.̛͔̪̯̣̙̘͎ ̶̞̖͙̩̮͉T͖̹r̼̼̲̙̖̲a̭̣͎v҉̟̫̝̬e͚̼̺͚̭̕ͅl̺͠i̸n͙̩͓̞g̸̗͇̹͙͖̻ͅ ̤̲̣in͍̙̣̼͓ͅ ̙n̡̦̱͇̞͇͍i̥͕̱̝̜͈g̘̹̞͍̹͞ͅͅh̳t̸̝ ̘̫͙͓͡w̗̟̩̜̦̗̘i͏̝͔l͙͚̥͎̠̪l̙̲̹ h͏̠̩̗̣͍̱ą͍s͔̹̗͓͎̭͘t̘͘e͈̫̪̯̖n̲̮͓͖̬ ̳͚o̺u̗͈̭̝r ͢m̦̬̟͜o̘͎̱̗v͈̠̗͕͚͡e̳̤̞̗̙̤͍m̱͈̠̗͕e͓̰n͙̱̣̥̝ͅts̹̗̹̳.̤̘͇̪̗͎͠”

 

The pair moved quietly, not wanting to interrupt or garner to much attention from the other wastrels wandering about, especially from any of the Headboys finish their nightly patrols. Concealing himself to the underbrush was a nonissue for Arthur, but Consumption’s stature and highly saturated . . . skin? And aura of hallucinogenic toxins was something else to hide all together. Thinking better than to take a direct route, Arthur followed along part of the cliff face. Alternatively, Consumption seemed more than comfortable walking at full height in these early house of the daylight, smiling and breathing in the scents and smells of a slowly decaying island. The beast seemed almost amused at Arthur’s fear and danger of being caught, taking lead in a walk that garnered almost too close on that of a monkey for something that looked so human. Even when crouched as so, it still almost matched Arthur in height, spine and bones on its back juttering and moving uncannily, like ragdoll made of sticks and thin cloth.

 

As the pair neared the safe-house, Consumption too pause, letting Arthur open the hatch to let the both of them down into the abandoned tracks. Arthur closed the hatch behind them, taking in a sigh of relief, watching as Consumption stood in the center of the room, taking in every inch of its surroundings. The buzzing noise in his head had not yet subsided, he was beginning to think it was most likely just a side effect being near something that most would consider a walking drug trip. Arthur felt his brain, although far less fearful, still reeling with thoughts and questions and wonderment at this creature, wanting to ask days worth of questions but knowing full well he’d get nothing in response. Lost in his thoughts once more, Arthur shook his head, looking over to where Consumption was moments ago.

 

His eyes stopped as he saw the creature no longer seemed to be there.

 

Blinking a few more times, he looked around the room, confused. He walked further into the room, looking around the piles of boxes and abandoned train equipment, finding nothing left. Arthur paused, letting out a huff a few minutes later. 

 

“Aha, I get it, not one for waiting around are you?” The words were spoken into the open room, though Arthur had a sneaking suspicion the beast was not far from earshot, wherever it may have vanished or moved away to. He went over and thoroughly collapsed onto his bed. It had been a long night, he deserved what rest he could get before heading into St. George Holm, and it would be a long night’s trek to Hayworth, reasoning unknown. He reminded himself not to ponder too much, waves of unconsciousness trying to grasp into his brain. The creature had its reasons, however cryptic and surrounded by mystery those reasons were.

**Author's Note:**

> if you'd like to see the design of the creature (Consumption), I have some examples of what they look like! (https://toyhou.se/2746741.consumption)


End file.
